MasterChef’s John Torode and Lisa Faulkner’s Christmas dinner side dish recipes including best-ever roast potatoes and foolproof gravy
From John's crispy yet moist apple and chestnut stuffing to Lisa's carrot and celeriac crush, there'll be no doubting who rustles up the best Christmas dinner with these recipes
IT'S no wonder so many of us make a meal of Christmas dinner.
With every pot, pan and utensil in use and an oven fit to burst, it's a lot for even a seasoned multitasker to take on. But, with John Torode and Lisa Faulkner's recipes and tips, the fussing over the all-important side dishes is about to be a thing of the past.
Lisa’s Best-Ever Roasties
Serves 6-8
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 1 hr
Cals 209
Sat fat 1g
*1.5kg potatoes, peeled
*5 cloves garlic
*3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
*5tbsp olive oil
*2-3tbsp semolina
1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6. Cut the potatoes into chunks. Place in a pan with the garlic and cover with water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then drain.
2 Tip the potatoes into a dry pan with the garlic and thyme. Coat with 1-2tbsp olive oil. Season well, then sprinkle with the semolina. Shake the pan around to coat the potatoes.
3 Put the rest of the oil in a roasting pan in the oven until hot, then add the potatoes. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until crispy and golden.
John’s Apple and Chestnut Stuffing
Serves 6-8
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 50 mins
Cals 240
Sat fat 4g
*20g butter
*2 medium onions, peeled and diced
*300g chestnuts, finely chopped
*20 sage leaves (10 torn, 10 whole)
*100g fresh breadcrumbs
*3 Granny Smith apples, grated
*200g sausage meat
For crispy yet moist-in-the-middle stuffing, don’t cook it inside the turkey – make it separately.
1 Melt the butter in a pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until transparent. Add the chestnuts and torn sage leaves, and season well. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
2 In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in 100ml water for a few minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
3 Add the onion mixture to the bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes to incorporate air, which will expand during cooking to give you a fluffy, rather than stodgy, stuffing.
4 Grease a 20cm x 10cm ovenproof dish, spoon in the stuffing in (don’t pat down), garnish with half the remaining sage and cook at 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6 for around 40 minutes, or until crispy on top. Replace the cooked sage with fresh leaves to serve.
Lisa’s Carrot and Celeriac Crush
Serves 6-8
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 10 mins
Cals 180
Sat fat 6g
*1 celeriac, peeled and chopped
*400g carrots, peeled and chopped
*1 clove garlic
*100ml olive oil
*200ml milk
*100ml double cream
*25g chopped flat parsley
*Lemon oil, optional
Prep your crush ahead – just reheat, add parsley and a little cooking liquor when ready to serve.
1 Place the celeriac, carrots, garlic, oil and milk in a pan with 200ml of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
2 Once cooked, drain off all the liquid and reserve. Add the cream to the pan and, using a fork, crush the carrot and celeriac mixture. Mix in a little of the liquid to make a creamy crush, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and a splash of lemon oil.
Lisa’s Buttery Brussels With Hazelnuts
Serves 6-8
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 20 mins
Cals 145
Sat fat 3g
*600g Brussels sprouts
*2tbsp olive oil
*1 banana shallot, sliced
*2tbsp unsalted butter
*8-10 sage leaves, chopped
*60g chopped hazelnuts, toasted
The sprouts can be blanched and everything else prepped ready to put in the pan at the last minute.
1 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the sprouts. Cook for 1-2 minutes, drain. Cut the sprouts in half, lengthways, then place in ice-cold water to stop them cooking any further and to keep the colour.
2 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the shallots until they soften.
3 Add the butter and let it foam, then place the sprouts in the pan, cut-side down. Cook without moving them for around 10 minutes, or until tender and browned. Shake the pan and turn the sprouts, then add the sage and hazelnuts and cook for a further few minutes. Season and serve.
John’s Foolproof Gravy
Serves 6-8
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 30 mins
Cals 103
Sat fat 4g
*20ml vegetable oil, turkey juices or dripping
*2 large white onions, sliced
*1tbsp malt vinegar
*30g butter
*20g flour
*300ml liquid from the turkey mixed with 1 chicken stock cube
1 Place a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat and add the oil or dripping. Place the onions in the pan, season with salt and pepper, and stir well until opaque. Add the vinegar and continue to stir and cook for 10 minutes or until the onions have some colour.
2 Add the butter and stir until melted, then sift in the flour and continue to cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the stock and give a stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to take off any crust that has built up from the flour (this is full of flavour and will thicken the sauce).
3 Bring to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring continuously.
John’s Easy Bread Sauce
You can make the milk infusion on Christmas Eve and reheat the next day.
Serves 6-8
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 40 mins
Cals 120
Sat fat 3g
*500ml milk
*1 medium onion, peeled and halved
*2 whole cloves
*6 whole black peppercorns
*Pinch nutmeg
*120g fresh white breadcrumbs
*30g butter
Soak your bread sauce pan in water straightaway – the remnants can set and be a nightmare to remove!
1 Pour the milk into a small pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, cloves, peppercorns and nutmeg.
2 Heat the milk until it simmers – try not to boil it, but if you do, add a little more cold milk to bring the volume back up.
3 Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the spices to infuse – preferably for 1 hour, but it can be done in 15 minutes if you’re short of time.
4 Place the breadcrumbs in a clean pan and pour the infused milk over, through a strainer. Leave to soak for 5 minutes then return to a medium heat. Cook the sauce slowly for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Finally, add the butter.
5 The finished sauce should have some body and thickness – a bit like porridge. If it is too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, continue to cook until some liquid evaporates, to give the desired consistency.
Check out John and Lisa's top Christmas turkey and starter recipes. And no Christmas is complete without a yummy pudding and festive cocktail.
